


The Tiger Tamer

by Stolen_Writer



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Amusement Park, Alternate Universe - Circus, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-19
Updated: 2017-01-15
Packaged: 2018-04-05 02:46:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4162743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stolen_Writer/pseuds/Stolen_Writer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The story of a human tiger who meets a boy that can seem to tame his savage senses and nature.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Our First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Here I leave the first chapter of this story! This was supposed to be a OneShot story for KagaKuro Day but, I really liked the ideas that came up so, I started writing some more chapters for it! I really hope you guys enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it! The story is still progressing so, I am really excited for sharing it here!

“Come one, come all, it’s already time for us to start the show!” everyone around; young kids, adults, couples, families, and even pets, stepped eagerly on to what looked like some sort of magical park. The place was beautiful, there was enough space for everyone to pass by and choose which show to see or which games to participate in. Many crowds immediately flowed to the different tents, while others stood around the food court or just watched on the nearby benches with their friends while enjoying some drinks. Even though it was crowded, everything was peaceful and fun or, at least, that’s how it looked like from afar.

It’s hands gently touched the floor, approaching the bars dividing it and that little cheerful world. It placed it’s fingers around the bars, no one was there to see, it too wanted to give or have some fun, ignoring the fact that it didn’t know how. As he placed his head closer to the bars, he could feel as if he could go out, which was a bit scary too.

“Hello.” a gentle voice said, it seemed to come from the other side of the bars, right in front of what was looking towards the outside. Immediately throwing itself into defense mode, the animal stepped back and glared. This didn’t faze the sky-blue eyed kid at all, in fact, his face remained unchanged. The boy then looked at one of the signs.

“Taiga Kagami.” he said, repeating what he read, the animal responded to this, looking back at the kid attentively. If he knew its name, maybe he wasn’t so dangerous, but it wouldn’t let it’s guard down, it glared again once the kid continued reading.

“The human…tiger.” he whispered, looking at the tiger, trying to compare it with a real one. This ‘tiger’ was indeed human. Dark red colored eyes as intense as any animalistic creature, dark and red colored messy hair, a muscular naked body, a pose showing it was ready to attack if it felt threatened. A human…but a tiger. A tiger…but a human. It should’ve been simple to tell which one of those two was it, but it was actually confusing and even a bit ridiculous to try and divide with definition. After all his analysis was done, the kid passed his right hand through the bars. The tiger looked at it, lowering his divided eyebrows to give a more menacing glare, but it wouldn’t step away, the human should be the one scared, not the tiger. The kid finally reached the tiger’s head and, without a hint of fear, he ruffled the animal’s hair.

“Gh…” Taiga closed his eyes, it wasn’t being attacked, it felt nice. Even so, some seconds later, Kagami stepped away. It didn’t know what to expect, it wouldn’t let his guard down so easily. It’s glare was now a bit more calm but full of caution. Taiga lowered his face, it’s eyes remained staring at the kid.

“Don’t worry, Kagami-kun, I won’t hurt you. I’m expecting for you not to hurt me.” the boy said, giving a faint friendly smile. Taiga stared at him for a while and, just when it was about to step close, bit by bit, someone came rushing by.

“Tetsu-kun~!” a very girly voice was approaching, this made Taiga go back into defense mode, this time growling a bit, looking around to see who or what was coming.

“Ah, Tetsu-kun! I was looking all over for you~!” a pink haired girl threw herself towards the blue haired kid, who caught her and rapidly placed her down, to prevent a fall.

“Momoi-san, sorry, I thought you knew I had left since a while ago. When you said you wanted to meet up with your friends, I thought you meant for me to leave some space for you, so I did.” the boy replied, his expression a normal one. The girl pouted a bit but then looked at the cage.

“Wow, Tetsu-kun! You found the human tiger! I thought that was just some made-up story about this circu- err park!” the girl said, amazed as she leaned forward, receiving a glare from the tiger, this made her pout once again and move back towards Tetsuya.

“Tetsu-kun, Tetsu-kun! We have to go see the main show of today, come on!” the girl took Tetsuya’s arm and pulled him towards the crowd roaming around the main stage. The boy wanted to stay a while longer with the tiger but, he’d have to wait and see him again sometime later, if he ever got the time once more.

Taiga couldn’t help but stare at the two figures as they ran away. It felt kind of sad, someone had finally approached him and, even though it had been a bit scary, it somehow felt better than staring at people from afar, not having any contact with them or even the owners of the park whenever the shows started and the park opened for business. It put it’s hands on the bars, mimicking how the boy had put them when he had been staring. His claws bumped with the palm of his hands, so he had to move his fingers farther away. Had that kid been hurting himself, placing his hands like that? What a strange person and what a strange encounter. He’s likely to come back here soon.

The show Tetsuya and Momoi had gone to see consisted of a series of conversations and performances made by the host, Kise Ryouta and one of his supervisors, Yukio Kasamatsu. It was great. They integrated the crowd and even played tricks to them. Everyone had been satisfied with the first day’s show. Every kid returned home with presents and wide smiles on their little faces. The owners also had wide smiles. They had obtained more money than what was expected. This was, indeed, a good city to stay at for a while longer.

“And the tiger?” a red-haired short boy asked, his back facing a green-haired boy who adjusted his glasses.

“The human tiger hasn’t been mentioned around much, but someone did find him and even made contact with it. Strangely enough, Taiga didn’t seem too startled by his presence, Akashi-san.”

“I see… Well, Shintarou, I want you to arrange something for tomorrow…” a faint smile appeared on Akashi once he turned to face Midorima. Things were going to turn interesting, although Midorima wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not. Even so, everything Akashi said would be done without question.


	2. We Meet Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They met once again, that was a good thing, he thought.
> 
> What is there awaiting for the human tiger and the strange boy?

Night had come a while ago or how long had it been since daylight had already arrive? Well, it didn’t really matter, Taiga hadn’t spent time with anyone. He also hadn’t seen that weird kid after their encounter. Even so, it seemed there was another show for today, it had been announced around for quite some time and even the red master had been roaming, taking care of stuff with a bothersome smile. He came around, looking at the tiger from time to time. Others came to give food, as always, but with more care for some reason. This day didn’t seem normal at all.

The sun started to grow intense and so did the announcements. It was funny, Taiga had heard his name being called many times. No one ever did, at least not ‘Taiga Kagami’ along with some other gibberish. What was going on? He wondered. This made him restless, he didn’t eat much of his food, it was too many and his anxiety prevented him from staying put.

“Oh, look at that. You seem active, Taiga.” Akashi opened the cage. Immediately, Kagami rushed towards him, in reality towards the outside. He wanted to see everything. Akashi’s slender but firm hand stretched and landed in front of Kagami, making him stop and give one step back, glaring.

“Not so fast. You’ll go out when I say so.” Taiga tilted his head and tried escaping once again, this time being stopped by a slight sting on the side of his head. Akashi now gazed at the tiger with slight anger, holding a bit of it’s hair in one hand and red scissors in the other. “I told you, when I say so, you do so.” He turned and looked up at a man with navy blue hair. “Get him ready.” and with that, the red head left, holding tightly to his scissors and scraps of hair.

Kagami tried touching his wound but then looked up at the person approaching him with hostility. It was that big idiot he often saw from afar giving his shows. Kagami glared and stepped back, this rapidly annoyed the blue haired boy.

“Tch… This is why I don’t like dealing with animals, especially this Bakagami.” the blue boy complained as he ran towards the tiger to try and catch him.

“B…k…?” the tiger thought for a bit, anything this man said was definitely stupid and, therefore, insulting. Kagami growled at him as he ran towards him to attack. The man threw himself towards the human tiger, holding his arms down.

“Gosh, what’s up with you? You’re human so act like one.” the man mumbled as the tiger grind his teeth, to hold the pain his arms were transmitting.

“Excuse me.” that soft voice rang again, Kagami’s eyes looked around, it was that kid. Once he found him, he felt his arms being released. It seemed the man had been startled by the invisible kid.

“What the- Tetsu?” the man said, impressed. Kuroko looked at the man with his usual expression but the glow in his eyes made him look confused.

“Um…do I know you?” he asked, to what the man rapidly shook his head.

“Oh, no… I’m Aomine Daiki.” he extended his hand, Kuroko replied, shaking his hand with Aomine’s. He then turned and looked at the tiger, which had his face in the ground, looking at him as he spoke with the idiot.

“Kagami-kun, good day. I hope you’re not being treated unpleasantly.” Kuroko said, Aomine flinched as he noticed the gentle scolding. Kagami grinned a bit as he stood back to his normal pose, his hands to the ground, as well as his feet.

“M…” his eyes were still set on Kuroko. This made the boy look back and then step towards Aomine.

“Aomine-kun, please, let me take care of Kagami-kun for you. He doesn’t seem to like you. You don’t seem to like him. Once I’m done, I’ll leave the cage.” he said, to which Aomine rapidly nodded.

“Yeah, sure…Oh! And…Tetsu? Is the pinky girl alright?” Aomine asked, looking away, awaiting an answer, a positive one. Kuroko chuckled, it was clear how he knew his name, or part of it, at least.

“Yeah, in fact, she’ll be around to see today’s show soon.” he answered. Aomine remained silent, but it was noticeable that he seemed happy and determined of something. After saying his thanks, he stepped away, staying close by so Kagami wouldn’t escape if he outsmarted the kid.

Once they were alone, Kuroko gave a little smile to the tiger, who seemed a bit more relaxed than sometime before. Kagami mimicked the smile, but his eyes remained intense. They met once again, that was a good thing, he thought.

The blue haired boy gave one step close to Kagami, the tiger responded giving one step back. Once again, Kuroko tried getting close, Kagami looked at him, this time remaining in the same spot. Tetsuya extended his hand towards the tiger, this was the best way for him to show he wasn’t going to do anything bad. The tiger’s human side or just his memories understood this, one of his hands extended back at the boy. Kuroko then reached his wound on the side of his face and, with the kit Aomine had left close by, started applying some ointment.

Kagami stood there, trying to see the kid’s fingers sliding gently through his wound. It impressed him, never had he felt such delicacy and warmth, even thought it was just the tip of the boy’s fingers he was feeling. Things like this, unfortunately, last for real short seconds, before the tiger knew it, the boy had stopped and was now looking at someone standing at the gate of the cage.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the Invisible Man, Tetsuya. It’s such a joy to meet you after quite some time… but it is also bothersome to see you altering the orders I’ve given without even consulting me. What’s worst is that you’re an outsider, a part of our clients.” it was the red haired kid once again, his eyes shone red and yellow as he maintained his gaze on the boy. Kuroko didn’t answer, he looked back at Akashi. The red head’s intense and Kuroko’s unshaken eyes met, as in a silent confrontation. Kagami knew something was off, but what was about to come he couldn’t foresee at all.


	3. Invisible Past Intertwined

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Take him to the stage, it’s almost time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 is here! I hope you guys enjoy it!

“Akashi-kun…” Kuroko whispered, without looking away. Akashi smiled a bit.

“I’d like for you to step away from this cage. If I remember correctly, which I do, you’re not part of this park anymore. You decided yourself, didn’t you?” Akashi gazed at the boy for a second before continuing. “Or is it that you want to return to me?” 

“…I appreciate your consideration but, no. I just wanted to make sure Kagami-kun was being treated well.” Kuroko replied, glancing at the tiger, who was lost as to what they were discussing.

The tiger watched them gaze at each other, a bit worried but awaiting. He was ready to throw himself at them if anything happened. His instincts were ready. Fortunately, the strange kid approached the tiger.

“Take care, Kagami-kun, don’t let them control you. I’ll see you on your show.” he patted the tiger’s head, making him flinch and close his eyes slightly.

‘You don’t have to go after you do something nice’, the human tiger thought as he saw Kuroko step away from the cage. Akashi couldn’t help but chuckle.

“This keeps getting better and better. I can’t wait to see your next move, Tetsuya.” Once he finished, he glared with authority at the tiger and gave one step towards him. Kagami gave one, two steps back. This guy had attacked him before, being cautious was the best choice. Akashi then stopped and made a signal for the tiger to move towards him, his other hand showing him the scissors with which he had hurt him before.

“Now Taiga, you don’t want me to hurt you again, right? Then, come over here right now.” the man glared again, his eyes showing the shortness of his patience.

Kagami was hesitant, that weapon again. ‘This man, what does he want? He’s signaling to come close, but if I do, would he hurt me?’ With a slight growl and hard steps, Kagami approached, focusing his look on the boy, preparing to attack. Right before Kagami could do anything, Akashi placed a tight collar around his neck, this made him desperate, his hands trying to take it off. Without a second to waste, Akashi put handcuffs on Kagami. 

“W…gh…!” Kagami couldn’t stand this so he started to move around desperately. Akashi then tightened the grip of the collar, after fighting with the tiger’s desperate moves, and pulled him with the handle of the collar towards the outside.

“Kh…grraa…!!” the tiger growled and shook around, Akashi ignored this while he pushed forcibly.

“Akashi-san, I’ll take care of him.” a green haired male approached adjusting his glasses, with a hair clip attached to his tie. Akashi looked at him for a second and threw the handle towards Midorima with force, making Kagami stumble a bit.

“Take him to the stage, it’s almost time.” Akashi said, stepping towards the back of the stage to a room. As he walked away, he gazed at his hands, they were a pinkish red, they hurt too. He closed one eye and continued onward. “I can’t be this weak… I am not this weak.” 

Midorima’s reflexes had reacted rapidly. He took the ‘handle’ of the chains and pulled the tiger, who continued struggling, clutching his claws around the ground or anything that appeared on his way. Yes, he wanted to get out of that cage but with those restraints it felt even worse than being locked down there. He wanted to move, it made him mad. When would he be released? Why wouldn’t they let him go if they had taken him out of that cage? 

Once he felt the pulling stop, he tried standing, or at least crouching to look at the people and place he had been taken to. What he saw was a room full of people, clothes, mirrors, lights, noises, shoutings, desperation, totally different from where he always used to be. He closed his eyes tightly and tried to block the sound but his hands couldn’t reach both of his ears, so he lowered his head towards the ground, kicking his feet and biting his lower lip to try and bear the incredibly bothersome scenery.

Midorima looked at the tiger for some seconds and then called for some of his co-workers to take care of him. They started applying powder and perfume to the tiger, who moved his head from side to side trying not to get that weird stuff around him, but it was useless. Some men held him as the woman, who didn’t look happy doing that to the poor tiger, applied the necessary things to get him ready. Once that was done, she told Midorima about it.

“Thank you, Riko-san.” he said as he then grabbed the handle of the tiger once again, this time stepping farther into the room towards some red curtains. Surprisingly, everyone remained silent once this happened. Kagami couldn’t help but wonder why as he grew uneasy looking at the curtains. Then, he noticed a voice speaking from the other side.

“…And now, without further delay, we present you today’s main event. We are happy to show all of you a real wonder, a human tiger-no, _the_ human tiger, Kagami Taiga!” With a wide smile, the blonde, high-spirited boy said all of this and, as he gestured with his hand for the public to look towards his back, the curtains opened. The lights illuminated the silhouette of a man who seemed abnormal. He tried opening his eyes, the lights were really strong for him and his instincts told him to be careful. It seemed to have a long chain holding him from his neck, Midorima was nowhere to be seen but the restraint was being held from something in the back, a strong object to assure he didn’t escape.

Taiga’s eyes finally adapted and, once he looked to his front, he saw a multitude moving around, clapping, speaking. ‘There are so many. Who are they? No, this is definitely dangerous.’ Yes, it reminded him of something, …of danger and he had to escape from it. This time, he couldn’t fail. 


	4. Savior for a Fleeting Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Look at him! He looks so mad!” “Really? I thought he was just nervous!” “Whatever it is, it’s real funny!” “You’re right, I’ll record this!” “Guys, that’s cruel! I knew I shouldn’t have come here!” The voices on the crowd grew stronger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Belated Happy Birthday to Kagami Taiga! 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this new Chapter, thanks for waiting!

The tiger raised himself from the position he had been some time before. With unusual serenity, he observed everyone in the crowd. Very dangerous, all of them, they’re all dangerous. Over and over, the tiger prepared his heart, his strength.

One step, a hard one, was all it took for the whole crowd to go silent. The tiger had a stunningly eerie stare, his viewpoint changing, second to second. Without warning, he put up an abnormal animalistic stance and attempted to jump at the people around his front. Some people got scared, others smiled, it seemed all part of a show or maybe the poor human tiger was nervous, after all, he was part human, and it was also his first time on stage. Some kids would scream he was cute.

“Grrrrr!” Kagami growled before roaring, a mix of a humanly beastial shout. It made everyone’s ears hurt, even if it had been just for a bit. The human tiger attempted to leap again, the chains bringing him back, which made him even madder. His heart rate rose. Agitation, desperation, strength, every single defensive mechanism was covering Taiga’s being. He continued trying, the chains screaming in pain. They wanted to free him and rest. The object holding the chain also cringed, every time louder. The people of the crowd noticed this, their faces turning stern as time passed by.

“…Gngh…grr… Rrr…an….ghg….raah…” It sounded as if he was saying something. He actually was, no one really understood but that didn’t matter to the half-breed. The chains were finally growing tired. He would be free, he could feel it, and the wait was making him lose the little control he had in that moment. “Grr…rrh…” His body continued trying to jump at the crowd. Some of the people took their kids out, the show didn’t seem too safe now. Even so, many of the other people stayed and looked interested, this irritated the tiger and he continued trying to get out, but then, the grip of the chains grew stronger. What the-? He looked to his back, it seemed someone had tighten them a bit and that bit prohibited the tiger from going out, from being free.

“Look at him! He looks so mad!” “Really? I thought he was just nervous!” “Whatever it is, it’s real funny!” “You’re right, I’ll record this!” “Guys, that’s cruel! I knew I shouldn’t have come here!” The voices on the crowd grew stronger. No, not again, so loud, so bothersome, so desperating.

“Grr….rrr!” Kagami continued to growl, throwing his huge body to the ground of the stage, the chains hitting his back for a while because of the impact. Taiga moved his hands, shaking a bit, towards his ears again, and as he tried this, the sound grew bigger and bigger. Again, he would be submitted by them again. Why not fight against the sound? Why not escape? He cursed his weakness, once again he would fall victim to his agitated feelings, unable to attack or defend. It was miserable and it seemed to continue on.

“Kagami-kun.” That soft gentle voice, it came from the crowd. The tiger immediately raised his head. He looked around, desperation covering him and his senses. He saw him! Wait-no, he wasn’t there, where, where?? He looked and look but couldn’t find that boy. Well, no use in looking for something that wasn’t really there. Taiga jumped to the conclusion that his own mind had played a trick on him, a healthy trick, his head stopped throbbing for the seconds when he heard his name being called. Maybe that was his own crazy way of calming down. Strange, couldn’t it have been anyone else? Well, not really. The only person that had approached him by will, to just look and speak with him, had been Kuroko, and maybe he was too grateful for it.

Again, the sounds were getting louder again! Calm down, hands to your ears again, close your eyes, and let it all slide. His hands covered his ears once more and he attempted to look at the crowds, and as he did, he noticed someone was right in front of him. The crowd grew dead silent, but then immediately loud. The people got worried, there was a kid on stage, right in front of that menace. He was close enough to get hurt, they all thought.

“Isn’t the Staff going to do something about this?” Yukio, one of the members of the circus, Kise’s show partner, asked to his friend. The blonde boy looked towards Midorima for a while.

“It seems Akashicchi has something planned, Midorimacchi doesn’t seem altered, though he is impressed.” Kise answered, turning his look to Yukio, who sighed and hoped the plan wouldn’t be something dangerous or bad. Well, it was Akashi’s plan, no one could know for sure.

“K…r…k…” Taiga attempted to say as he stared at the figure in front of him. The sounds dulled, they weren’t as strong anymore.

“Kagami-kun, you seem troubled. Should I tell them to keep it down?” Kuroko asked, moving his hand closer to Kagami’s head. Kagami observed him and nodded slowly. He seemed to understand Kuroko would help. He remained still, his hands moving from his ears to the ground as his body tried not to drop completely to the floor. Kuroko reached the beast’s head and patted him as gently as he could before clearing his throat. He then took a deep breath and stared at the crowd as serious and determined as he could portray, while keeping his hand on the tiger, who seemed to feel a bit better like that.

“Everyone, I’d like for you all to lower your voices and step out of the park for a while, please.” Kuroko finally said. The crowd remained dead silent once again. The boy seemed familiar and yet, seemed new. Who was he? Several of the persons around the crowd did as he said and stepped away. Others didn’t want to, some even seemed angry. Of course, Kuroko knew this could happen and he would deal with that later. At least not many people remained and their ruckus wasn’t as loud as before. Even so, he had to move the tiger away from them, from the stage.

“Kagami-kun, please, follow me.” Kuroko said, moving his hand slowly away from the tiger to try and take the chains off of him. It was strangely easy for Kuroko to release the lock but he ignored this and started to step towards the edge of the stage. He looked back, Kagami followed, he was sure the kid would lead him somewhere nice, or maybe even go play with him, he had said his name so, surely he wanted him to follow, he thought. Once the boy reached the edge, he jumped back down towards where the crowd used to be. Kagami observed this and did as the boy, but, instead of landing on his two feet, he landed on four. Kuroko nodded and patted the tiger’s head. He responded, jumping a bit but then nodding back once he was patted.

Kuroko then lead Kagami towards a small traditional house.

“Kagami-kun, this is my home. It’s fairly close to the park you are staying at. Maybe you can take a rest around here… or a run if you’d like.” Kuroko said, noticing how excited the tiger’s eyes looked as it watched the house and its surroundings. Kagami listened but couldn’t understand much, he had been too busy paying close attention to the place. His feet and hands, which were all touching the ground, started to stomp, making him jump as he looked at the blue haired boy with a wide smile, waiting for an approval. He clearly wanted to explore. Kuroko rapidly nodded and the active tiger took a run around the outside of the house. Everything was new, the wind as he ran at top speed, it was cold and free, not like the one from inside the bars which was limited and maybe even dull. This was good and fresh, this was what the wild desired. He felt he belonged around places like this, around wind like these, below a sky full of vivid colors… Vivid. That had been strangely familiar. What was ‘vivid’ again? Kagami’s mind started hurting and he stopped his running, putting his hands on his head, his eyes closed tightly. He had ran around and finally had stopped right in front of Kuroko, who saw him hurting and rapidly crouched to check on him.

“Kagami-kun?”

“C…co…lrs…”


	5. The Middle of the Turn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Ah… gran…td… K…rk… not…gran…ted…” Kagami answered, now showing a very wide smile. How strange. Kuroko looked at him, seeming quite impressed. That tiger was smiling so cheery, so very happy. Why?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! It's been a long while since I've been able to post a new chapter and I'm very sorry for that! I've started with university, this is my first year, and I've been adapting to the schedule and the way everything goes around so, it's been hard to get some free time, but I finally took the time to post this. I have to say, this was not really what I was expecting to do with this chapter but, it kind of came up to be this way, so I hope it seems well to all of you! Please enjoy and, once again, I'm truly sorry for being so late! I'll keep doing my best to keep updating, I won't leave The Tiger Tamer incomplete if I don't have to. Send me good vibes! Now, enjoy the reading!

“Mm…rrrh…” he was hurting. The tiger didn’t know what was it that he was seeing. Vivid, all vivid colors mixed. In the end, he couldn’t keep his eyes opened. 

“Kagami-kun?” Kuroko approached wearily, slowly, to prevent any rampage from the tiger. Taiga began to tremble, and Kuroko couldn’t help but reach to him as fast as he could. He then held the tiger’s hands, which were holding it’s own head and tried waiting for his answers. The tiger looked up towards the man with those soft hands and tried to express himself.

“C…clr…s…” his lips moved timidly, he tilted his head, looking for help between those teary eyes. The warmth Kuroko’s hands emanated was nice, but he felt it wasn’t enough to make what he was seeing in between his head disappear. 

“C…” Kuroko thought for a while, the sound of the tiger’s moving lips, mixed with the click of it’s tongue and bump of his teeth all expressed something that was very common and familiar. It was human language and a short word that showed many things. “Colors?” he finished and asked to see if his guess was right. The half-breed nodded slowly, his eyes staring deeply back at Kuroko’s, his head still tilted, still pleading for any more help he could get from such a gentle man. Kuroko noticed this and smiled just a bit uneasy. Colors. What was it that bothered Kagami about colors? What was it he saw that made him this way? What’s his head seeing? If only it could be as easy as to ask the tiger about it and be done with. 

“Kagami-kun, I need your help on this. If you want my help, I’ll need to know what’s going on. Are you willing to give it a try?” Kuroko slid his hand around Kagami’s trying to maintain him calm as he asked. Kagami’s eyebrows rapidly raised themselves and then formed a confused look on him. It was clear to him that man was there to try and help, but anything beyond that was a bit confusing, but he would try and gain that help he so needed. 

The tiger’s hands raised, both of his index fingers pointing towards the sunset, which reflected an orange and nostalgic glow to everything around, mountains, flowers, grass and houses in the distance. Kuroko looked at this intently, trying to notice the fault in the beauty Kagami was pointing at. Nothing seemed out of place. It was a bit nostalgic for him, those memories of his days back at the park triggered if he stared at the dearly warm sun embracing the mountains. Kagami stared at the boy, who continued looking towards where he was no longer pointing at. He then stepped towards him, grabbing his shirt and shaking it downwards so he would pay attention to him. Kuroko rapidly looked towards him, letting go of the things he was thinking about a while ago. 

“Co…lrs… s…n… Kr…rko…” he said, now pulling Kuroko’s shirt to walk him towards what he was pointing at. He continued walking until he stopped and noticed that the distance hadn’t shortened between him and the objective he wanted to reach. He gave a side glance to Kuroko, who was now looking at the reflection of the sunset between the tiger’s eyes and it’s softly mixed skin with the flow of the color the sun emanated as it was slowly leaving. That’s when it hit him. 

“The sun, Kagami-kun, is that what you’re trying to show me?” Kuroko asked, the reflection of the color covering them both completely. Kagami nodded, watching as the color embraced Kuroko, the one who seemed reliable to him. He was being covered by that color, was it good or bad? He looked to the ground and it, too, was covered by the color. How strange, it didn’t hurt at all. In fact, it didn’t feel suffocating or scary. Maybe it was just the way Kuroko was. That boy, he really is something. He can even make the pain leave, he can prevent it, and make it seem like something special. The sun was setting, and it wasn’t doing anything besides that. The sun was nice.

“Su…n …go… to…sl..slp…” Kagami tried expressing what he thought was happening. Kuroko rapidly let out a scoff, chuckling and nodded. 

“You’re right, Kagami-kun, the sun’s going to sleep. And we can all say goodbye to it every afternoon. It goes down quietly, so not many people say anything to it. We take it for granted.” Kuroko answered, sounding just a bit melancholic. Those thoughts still lingered on him, or so Kagami deduced.

“Ah… gran…td… K…rk… not…gran…ted…” Kagami answered, now showing a very wide smile. How strange. Kuroko looked at him, seeming quite impressed. That tiger was smiling so cheery, so very happy. Why? ‘Granted…Kuroko not granted’. What could that mean? Was he already getting attached to Kuroko? Or maybe Kuroko was just jumping to some weird conclusions. Right, it must’ve meant that he, Kuroko, didn’t take the sun’s set for granted.

“I guess… you’re right. I don’t take it for granted…anymore, at least. When you lose it, lose that light for once, you start missing it and knowing it’s worth. But, only because I lost it once is why I appreciate it, if I wouldn’t have. I wouldn’t pay attention to it. It’s… kinda sad.” Kuroko said, patting Kagami’s head, as the latter stared confused at him. Was he meaning he wasn’t a good person for not noticing? Kagami shook his head, stopping Kuroko from his patting. 

“Kur-k-k…not…grant…granted…” he said, sounding more fierce now, as if he wanted to state what he said. He wanted Kuroko to nod at it, and say no more. “Kur-k…not granted…” and as he continued, he said it more and more clearly. “Kuro-k…not granted!” he raised his voice, to which Kuroko rapidly crouched down, making Kagami stare directly at him. 

“Kagami-kun. Yes. I don’t take the sun for granted, but I did some time ago. I agree with what you’re saying, I just can’t shake off the fact that I didn’t before… It’s no big deal, now I do and that’s what matters, right? Good job for pointing that out, Kagami-kun.” Kuroko’s short smile made the half breed smile back at him and nod. Not everything was clear for him, but he had done something good, that he could be sure of. He was being patted again, this time with much more attention and warmth than before. The tiger closed it’s eyes, he wanted to feel the movement better, that headache wasn’t there anymore, but his uneasiness had lingered, until the patting and ruffling of his hair had started a while ago. Kuroko had to be a nice person, he always made him feel so good with such little gestures of kindness. It was enough for the red head. “K…rk… C…clrs…not sca…ry…” Kagami whispered at Kuroko, staring to his blue eyes that had been stained with the orange of the fading sun. 

“Not scared anymore?” Kuroko asked, still feeling curious. Kagami was bothered by the colors some time before, but, now, he looked happy, and it had something to do with him, with Kuroko. He was curious about all this, but how would you ask a tiger, a half tiger, about it? Kagami continued smiling, and then, his smile turned even brighter, his eyes shinning as he started jumping once again. “K…rk… t…” Kagami tried saying something once more.

“Wh-what was that, Kagami-kun?” Kuroko asked, hoping for him to try once more and that, this time, he could make out something of it. He really wanted to understand.

“Ku…ro…ko… Tea…tea…chu…taa…taal…ku…hnng…” Kagami’s eyes lowered, he couldn’t say it, he couldn’t show what he wanted. He grew restless as he decided to look at Kuroko and try again, but as he did, he saw Kuroko’s eyes glimmer.

“You want me to teach you how to speak, Kagami-kun? To speak like a human?” Kuroko asked, for some reason, he felt his inside grow warm. Kagami nodded, but then looked away and thought for a bit.

“T-ta…tal-ku…” Kagami corrected. That word Kuroko had said may not have been what he wanted so he made sure he knew what was what he wanted to teach him.

“Ah.” Kuroko laughed for a bit. “You want me to teach you how to _talk_. To _talk_ like a human.” Kuroko said, noticing what was going on in Kagami’s head. Once he corrected what he had said, the tiger nodded rapidly and excitedly. “Well then, I guess we can give it a try. There’s not much I do these days so I can spend it teaching you how to _talk_ , Kagami-kun. Here, let’s go home, I’ll show you around and give you a place to rest. It’s already getting late so it’ll be best if we rest before starting our lessons.” Kuroko moved his hand towards where Kagami’s was laying. Kagami looked at it for a bit and slowly raised his from the ground to accept it. He was being careful. He felt he trusted the boy, but he still felt he had to be cautious, anything could happen, even if the boy didn’t mean to. Their hands touched and the tiger gripped the human’s warmth tightly, he wouldn’t let any of it go. It would last for some seconds, but he would grip every last emanation that came from it, it was something his instinct, his heart was telling him to do.


	6. Steps to Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Come to think of it, that man is so scary. Kuroko looks so similar to him, yet, he’s nothing like him. It’s as if they’re total opposites of each other, with almost identical appearances. Kuroko is the good side, so, as I thought, blue is the friendly one. Like the clear skies. And Master is the bad side, like the burning skies. All vivid. Vivid.'
> 
> Vivid colors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanna wish Happy Holidays to everyone and also want to say sorry for submitting this so late! I'll be trying my best to update sooner, since now I don't have to worry about University and I think I'll be able to handle it better now. 
> 
> Well, I hope you guys like it! Here goes!

It was very cozy, small and warm. That was the weird boy’s home. How funny, it was just like him. Maybe, then, Kagami was as hollow, rough and cold as his own ‘home’, he wondered. Walking the small hallway gave a feeling of familiarity, even if he had never been there, or ever walked around a small hallway. All the hallways he knew of were gigantic. Kuroko lived in a place like this. The lighting gave the place a very safe feel, it was bright enough to make you smile in a dark night.

“K…rk…hom…feel…hom…” Kagami looked at every corner, excited, he barely stayed watching one thing before looking at the other. It was small, but all of the things were certainly new to the tiger. He took every little thing he could and, carefully, watched it from all sides to then place it back to where it was. His excitement over those small things that had been scattered around made Kuroko chuckle a bit, which made the tiger look back at him, wondering if he had done something wrong or if it was just right to continue. ‘Oh, that’s right! Sleeping! That’s what I was invited here for!’ the tiger remembered, running back towards the boy. Kuroko was surprised, he rapidly stopped checking the things that had caught his entire interest to just go back to him.

“Oh, right. You’re tired, aren’t you, Kagami-kun?” Kuroko asked as he lead the way towards his small room. It was a small home, making his room, the only dormitory available, even smaller. Kuroko sighed. He seemed to remember the room a bit bigger than what it really was. He looked at the tiger, who, at the sight of such a cozy bed, started yawning, but awaited to any ‘orders’ Kuroko would give him. The boy looked back at the bed. “Kagami-kun, do you think you can fit in that bed?” he pointed towards his bed. Kagami stared for a moment and nodded, but then shook his head.

“K…rk…bed…” he answered, looking towards the boy, a worried expression forming.

“Oh…yes. This is my bed, Kagami-kun, but I’m letting you use it. Is that alright with you?” Kuroko said, giving him a little smile, so he would know it was alright to go and rest.

“K…rk…bed…sl..p.” Kagami replied, making a small pout and kind of glaring at the now confused boy. Kuroko thought for a bit. If he knows he is allowed to sleep, then what can it be that bothers him? ‘…That must be it!’ Kuroko shook his head and stared back at the half breed.

“There’s no need to worry, Kagami-kun, I can sleep on the couch of the living room.” Kuroko answered. It wasn’t really a living room, it was just the space where a small couch was resting. It could also be called the kitchen, since there wasn’t much of a distance, or a door to divide it.

Kagami wasn’t entirely convinced, his eyebrows furrowed in disapproval and he pulled of the boy’s shirt while walking towards the bed. He then pointed with his index finger, mimicking how the boy had done a while ago. His sharp claw directly pointing at the small pillow placed on the bed. Kagami looked at the boy’s feet and grabbed one of them. Kuroko looked at him, trying to decipher what he wanted to do. Kagami pulled the shoe, Kuroko raised his feet a bit and then shook his head. The tiger ignored this and forcefully took the shoe off, leaving the boy’s feet with only the protection of it’s sock. Kagami then smiled widely and, ignoring the fact that he had left the other feet with the shoe on, pushed the boy towards the bed. Kuroko fell towards it and rapidly sat.

“Kagami-kun! There’s no need to let me sleep here. I’ve slept almost all my days here, haven’t I? I don’t mind leaving this bed for some time.” Kuroko said, the tiger turning away and groaning. On his steps, he felt it, and solved the fact that he didn’t have to sleep so far from the boy. The carpet, full of softness, each of his steps were unheard of whenever he walked on top of it. Maybe, his dreams, his rest would be unheard of as well. He decided. That was his spot, and it was a great spot. Kagami smiled a bit and chuckled slightly with excitement. He threw himself against the fluffy carpet and moved his head, feeling the softness against his wound from before. ‘Come to think of it, that man is so scary. Kuroko looks so similar to him, yet, he’s nothing like him. It’s as if they’re total opposites of each other, with almost identical appearances. Kuroko is the good side, so, as I thought, blue is the friendly one. Like the clear skies. And Master is the bad side, like the burning skies. All vivid. Vivid.'

Vivid colors.

The individual once moving in delightment, stopped doing so. He froze. He seemed almost in the brink of turning desperate once more. He looked up and, the kid was still staring at him, now looking worried. Kagami stared back, eyes as innocently wide as possible, their glint returned to a normal state, shaking just slightly as he eyed the boy. He smiled at him, fangs showing. Kuroko sighed in relief and leaned to pat him. Kagami responded with a happy shake from his body. He then yawned once more, this time trying to scratch one of his eyes, attempting to keep his claws away as he did so.

“Well, you seem to have taken a liking to that spot. Or, actually, the carpet. If it’s okay with you to stay there, then, I’ll stay here on the bed.” Kuroko said to the tiger, the latter nodding as his eyes closed and his head returned to leaning on the carpet’s soft hairs. He placed his hands close to his face and finally began to sleep, groans starting to sound as he drifted to his dreams.

Kuroko watched him for a while before laying his head on the soft pillow of his small bed. He stared at the tiger at all times before falling asleep, thanks to the calm expression on Kagami as he slept. It wasn’t bad, to have someone close. It wasn’t bad at all, they both thought.

-

The next morning was really noisy, pretty strange for that small house in the middle of the wilderness.

“A…a…ata…atatataaaa….” Kagami said before beginning to laugh. He couldn’t understand such a small word, he really had never heard that word ever before.

“Come on, Kagami-kun, you can do it.” Kuroko replied, trying not to laugh and remain a bit more serious, so the tiger would try harder.

“Atooooo….mmmmm…” he paused. “Atooommmmm!” he made the word sound longer than it really was. He smiled widely as he kept repeating the word.

“Ah..that’s great, Kagami-kun, but we have to proceed with the next word.”

“Hav to…proseeeeeed-o….nekst waard…hmmm… Sentence…puris….” Kagami replied. He wanted to continue, he wanted to say lots of words. So, with those small words, he suggested Kuroko to throw in some sentences so he could repeat. And Kuroko did. This turned out to be better than expected. Kagami replied and repeated much faster, and seemed to want to say all of the sentences as best as he could, since, whenever he repeated them, he seemed to improve more and more.

“I…tink….I laik…Kuroko voise.” he mixed and matched the words with the sentences he had learned and formed that small thing he wanted to say. His feelings started to come up and, bit by bit, he started to notice that this kid was even more special than what he had initially thought.

Words like ‘special, kind, happy, smile’ often repeated themselves inside Kagami’s head, but he couldn’t really understand what was going on. That part of him, that humanity, was something he hadn’t been able to explore at all. He wanted to know, though, and his mind went back and forth between the words and the weird sensations he had running around his stomach and chest. All of this didn’t really bother Kagami, in fact, he really wanted to know more about what he was feeling and he wanted to feel it more, to understand it and enjoy it, if he could. His eyes then stared again towards the boy, who was slightly smiling, having heard the nice words the tiger had said to him before.

“Kuroko…and me…close…? Make very…happy…Kagami Taiga.” Kagami finished, after searching for the words he thought would make up for a bit of what he wanted to say. Kuroko thought the tiger meant he wanted to become something close to him.

“Close? You mean, you want to be my friend, Kagami-kun?” he asked, and received a rapid nod from the tiger. ‘Friend’ sounded like a nice word, the way Kuroko said it gave it a tone of warmth, and maybe even longing. Did he not have any friends? The tiger wondered before he heard Kuroko’s answer. “Yes, Kagami-kun. I would love to be your friend.”

Love was a big word for the tiger, he felt special. In reality, he was. After all, it had been a long time since Kuroko could spend time with a ‘friend’ or maybe even people at all. Kuroko didn’t notice at the time but his own loneliness had led for him to find the caged beast. Right now, he was actually glad of having that loneliness at the time, this tiger had a presence he really felt comfortable with. It was as if he was a giant ray of light, piercing that darkness that had reigned inside Kuroko. Was this the work of fate? Then, maybe he should’ve believed in Midorima-kun’s words at the time. No use in thinking about the past now. Kuroko looked and patted the tiger, who shrunk his head between his shoulders. Kagami reacted with a smile and his skin turned slightly red. Those weird feelings made him feel the human’s touch much more meaningful than before.

They were now friends. Kagami was glad. His first friend and the sensation of having one was definitely something he really wanted. ‘It seems the system humans go by really is good. Maybe… humans aren’t so bad after all. Well, not all of them anyway… They can go from really nice to viciously cruel. I don’t want to think of him as one of them. I can’t tolerate the fact that they were the same as him, but, I’m glad there is a nice category for humans too. Kuroko, why is it that humans may be cruel? Why is it that they want to taint everything with vivid colors? And, why is it that there are humans so nice? Why do they do good when they, deep down, have their own suffering?’

“C…an…yu…sher…wid me?….” he said without noticing. His mind had went on and on, he got too caught up in what he was thinking and it resulted in him wanting to express it, though not consciously. Once he noticed, he looked at Kuroko, maybe he had said everything. He wanted Kuroko to know, but all of the things he had said were so hard for him to express in the right way. Kuroko looked back at him and made a slight interrogative hum so Kagami could try that again.

“Kur…oko…not vivid…color…” he paused, took a deep breath, noticing his fingers were starting to shake, and continued. “Kur…oko…nais…but….Kuro…ko suf…suf…suffr…ffr…T..tell…frr..ffrreee….nd…puris…?” Kagami finished and Kuroko rapidly grabbed his hands. The tiger was shaking, and, he wouldn’t wait to process the sentence to help him out, so he took his hands and then tried to decipher the message. It was easier now, his words may have sounded confusing at first, but if he thought about them again he definitely could make up the sentence. Once he registered it in his head, he gave a sigh and closed his eyes, now holding his arms tighter. He had wanted to share this side of the story with someone… but not just anyone, someone close to him, and it seemed that the tiger was willing to know without him even asking to see if he really would like to listen. Kuroko thought he would be ready when the time came, but he was wrong, and right now, he felt nervous as his hands shook as well. Kagami answered to his shakings now turning his hands to hold Kuroko. He would wait to listen to his story, he would be strong and listen only to the boy and the story he was about to hear.

“I guess…. I have to go back to the past.” Kuroko opened his eyes and now stared into the eyes of the tiger with determination, a strength to share what he had always wanted to get off of himself.

“I…hurt my friend… I hurt him badly and…lost it all.”


	7. Listening Tiger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “My friend… he was a fellow partner of mine from the circus- I mean, the amusement park. Yes, it is the same amusement park you were in.” Kuroko commenced, being as clear as he possibly could and trying his best to leave aside the uneasiness that was rising along with the memories. The tiger silently sat and listened, his eyes wanting to know everything. There was no judgment, just the will to listen.
> 
> “His name was Ogiwara Shigehiro..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! It's been a real long time! And, as much as I'd like to use university as an excuse, I can't throw it all towards it since I'm being lazy both at university and life as a whole these days. Well, I had updated this episode some time ago on tumblr but I wanted to post it here when I had the majority of the next episode done. I have barely started but still, I've already wasted a lot of time and I don't want to leave this behind so, I'll leave this new chapter here! I hope it is to your liking! I'll do my best to finally motivate myself once again into writing this, since I really love the story and appreciate the love you guys show to it! Thank you very much for this! Also, today is Mother's Day around here so Happy Mother's Day to all of those Mothers around and people who act as a mother to others, we all appreciate your hard work and love how strong you can get to be for us. Anyway, here goes! Please, enjoy and forgive me for taking such a long time to post this! Once I'm done with finals, let's see if I can get my muse back up again!

“My friend… he was a fellow partner of mine from the circus- I mean, the amusement park. Yes, it is the same amusement park you were in.” Kuroko commenced, being as clear as he possibly could and trying his best to leave aside the uneasiness that was rising along with the memories. The tiger silently sat and listened, his eyes wanting to know everything. There was no judgment, just the will to listen.

“His name was Ogiwara Shigehiro. He liked to be called Shige, or maybe that’s just because he was often called that way. He was a very cheerful boy…and my best friend. We both entered the circus together, dreaming we could make many people smile. He always made me smile, so I believed he’d at least be able to reach that dream. Me, on the other hand, I was always clumsy and a bit shy, so I couldn’t do much as him. Thanks to him, I slowly started growing fond of the circus. I really liked it there, and our companions also seemed very friendly. Though that was all a façade. They… They didn’t like us at all. It was like, they were forced to act friendly, since our leader had permitted us to become a part of the park. We never noticed… I wish I did.” He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and then opened them firmly to continue.

“Ogiwara’s best talent was the tightrope. You know how, whenever you watch someone walk by the rope, you always get all nervous and tense. Ogiwara made it seem like a normal walk, a straight and rather fun one. Everyone was always expecting, no nervousness, he smiled and the people also smiled and cheered him on. I really admired that. He was really skilled and always finished his tricks successfully. That was, until, with lots of observation, our companions toyed with him… with the both of us.” Kuroko glanced at the tiger, who seemed like he really did understand what he was saying and he, silently, awaited for him to continue. Kuroko smiled bitterly back at him and sat down by his side. Kagami smiled slightly, though he knew the story would turn dark soon. He extended his arms towards Kuroko, the latter responded by holding them with his own.

Kagami glanced at the boy, his hands were cold, though he wasn’t shaking at all. It seemed he was already strong enough to tell the story. The tiger nodded, as if telling him it was alright to continue, since he was following. Kuroko nodded back at him and looked to the distance to continue with his story.

“I was in charge of preparing everything for Ogiwara-kun, we were a team. I arranged everything and he showed us and impressive act, that was the drill.” Kuroko said and then whispered. “But I was tricked into changing how I did things.”

“I was to give him a more special rope this day. It was a very colorful one, like the colors of the rainbow. I remember it clearly, they said ‘If he can do any trick, let us see a spectacular act today, one that shouldn’t be surpassed, if he is worthy.’ At the time, I didn’t know what that meant, but now, it is very clear for me, and those words pierce through me… even now. You see, Kagami-kun, betrayal hurts because only friends can do it, or people you trust, that’s what they say. I guess that’s wrong. Betrayal hurts because it shows you the lie you’ve been wanting to believe, it makes apparent the fact that you chose wrong and that you let yourself be tricked. I guess… betrayal is just reality, trying to give you one last hand, whether you take it or leave is always up to you.” He said with a hint of sadness, his eyes now shinning with the want to cry. Kagami worried and held him tighter. The boy tried and smiled a bit to continue with the story.

“So, I placed the colorful rope as tight as possible and prepared the other things Ogiwara-kun needed for his ‘spectacular act’. Ogiwara-kun, as always, commenced with the act, a wide smile on his face, his love for the stage being very apparent to everyone. I watched from the sidelines. Everyone was clapping, everyone was very happy, especially my ‘friends’. Yes, the rope was tight, but it had many strands loose and roaming about. Ogiwara-kun didn’t have any shoes for that act, so, one of his fingers intertwined with one or two strands around, and he lost his balance. He tried his best to stay up, his things had already fallen. I worried and rushed towards the center. We had a soft cushion always there for if something happened, but, of course, the fall would still hurt and could prove fatal.”

“Og…war…a-k…un… fell?” the tiger asked, sounding saddened and shocked.

“Yes, Ogiwara-kun fell. He fell on the cushion, but the cushion was small so, once he fell on it, he bounced to the ground. That’s when I noticed the blood running from one of his fingernails and his twisted ankle. The ankle must’ve been once he fell on the cushion, trying to fit on it, I bet he curled into a ball during the fall and his upper part probably fell on top of his ankle. But the pain wasn’t the thing that hurt him. He was very shocked. I rushed towards him, but… I’ll never forget the look on his face. The shock, how scared he seemed and… the pain and agony of being ‘betrayed’. I could see it all in his watery eyes. Everything fell silent, his whisper echoed, answering once I called out to him.”

****”Ku…ro…ko?”****

“After that, Ogiwara-kun never returned to the circus, or any other circus or amusement park anywhere. I haven’t seen him since that day. They say he refuses to go out of his house or speak with any friends. I didn’t try to call him. I didn’t try speaking to him… I was too scared and I still am… I can’t explain to him what happened. I don’t even know why they did that… I don’t even know if they wanted him to fall or if they wanted for me to be blamed. I… this always hurts me a lot. I can never forget it…” Kuroko sighed, feeling just slightly better for sharing.

“After that… I left the amusement park… I, too, tried my best to distance myself from people. After a long time alone, Momoi-san called me and persuaded me to go to the park. And I met you. I’m glad I did. You surely are different from those people. You kind of remind me of Ogiwara-kun… You both shine a lot, even if you seemed more wild and rebellious. I guess I can understand why, but now, I can see you’re pretty gentle and different from him in a great way.” Kuroko smiled slightly and patted the listening tiger. Kagami looked at him with an attention far bigger than any Kuroko had seen before. As he was patted, the tiger smiled widely now and began speaking.

“Ku…rok…o…not….cu…lprrt… Kuro…k…spee…ak…to…freeend… Kagami Taiga…herrrp…Kur…ko…to spee..aak to…freend.”

“You want me to speak to my friend? To explain to him what happened?”

Kagami nodded rapidly.

“I…guess I could try…someday. And, if Kagami-kun’s willing to help, I’m sure it’ll go well, so I accept.”

The tiger’s eyes shone as he noticed Kuroko trusted him. He held the other’s hands and got them close to his face to then nuzzle against them. Kuroko giggled a bit before glancing fast, as he had noticed the door to his home had been forced open.

“We’ve found you, disobedient tiger.”


	8. Speaking Tamer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tiger didn’t say a word. The tiger thought it was now time to listen, the moment to decide how to fix things. He had to listen to the boy and his beatings, to his wavering mind, every single sound, he had to understand. Kagami observed his back, which took deep but trembling breaths, after all, he couldn’t say anything right now. Kuroko’s next deep breath shortened the gap of the silence which Taiga thought would last for a longer while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! This new chapter may seem like a Frankenstein, since I went by making it piece by piece by different dates, as time went by. Even so, I tried checking it out and finally releasing it. I hope you guys like it, even so! As always, I thank you for the wait and for reading! Here goes!

“And, will you look at that? We even found our former teammate, Kuroko Tetsuya. We meet once more.” The voice of a boy, one that seemed like a leader, sounded throughout the small house. Both Kuroko and Kagami knew that voice far too well.

“Akashi-kun.” Kuroko said.

Akashi smiled slightly, with lots of authority.

“We’ve come here to take our tiger back to his cage, or should I say, home?”

Kagami glared as he heard his words and hid behind Kuroko, who was glaring back at Akashi.

“This is Kagami-kun’s home now, Akashi-kun. Please, understand that and leave.” Kuroko said, trying his best not to feel intimidated by the figure in front of him. Akashi’s smile turned a bit more mechanic, his eyes opening a bit more than they normally should.

“Ah? Are you trying to say that he’s your property now, Tetsuya? Oh… I see how naïve you’ve turned now. I guess I really shouldn’t have let you leave the circus, look how wrong you’ve turned.” Akashi said, his voice as mechanical as his smile. Once Kagami heard this, his body started trembling unconsciously. Kuroko felt him and gulped, he too knew this was a bad thing, but he wouldn’t back down just because of a threat.

“Well… If I am so wrong, then I suppose this is no place for you to be in, Akashi-kun. I suppose you wouldn’t want to deal with people like us, who no longer meet any of your expectations.”

“Oh, you’re wrong on that part, Tetsuya. Taiga still meets my expectations and he couldn’t be better. Everyone wants to see him again. Also, if you came back, lots of people would return, of course, since I have brought your former partner back.”

“W…what….?” Kuroko froze and his heart started to beat rapidly. Kagami could feel it, as he had placed his hands on Kuroko’s back. The beatings made Kagami uneasy, they weren’t happy at all. This was rather confusing to him, as he thought that if Kuroko could meet his friend once more, he would be able to solve everything and feel better. Was it because of Akashi that he couldn’t rejoice over that? If it was because of him, then he would try to solve it. The boy had already done so much for him. It was time for him to pay back what he had granted him, or so he thought, as he saw this was the way one would have to act if it appreciated another. 

The tiger didn’t say a word. The tiger thought it was now time to listen, the moment to decide how to fix things. He had to listen to the boy and his beatings, to his wavering mind, every single sound, he had to understand. Kagami observed his back, which took deep but trembling breaths, after all, he couldn’t say anything right now. Kuroko’s next deep breath shortened the gap of the silence which Taiga thought would last for a longer while.

“Akashi-kun, after what happened to him, you still think it’s a good decision to bring him back to the park? Why would you do that to him? Did he decide on his own? I… He would’ve told me surely-”

“And why would he tell the one that betrayed him about his decisions? Tetsuya… do you honestly think he’ll want to speak to you after that?” Akashi paused and now smiled a bit less mechanical. “Well… if you decided on coming back, surely I could convince him of speaking to you once more. I could make you the favor of explaining everything as just a little accident. When, in reality, an accident would’ve been not to have him fall.” He chuckled without a trace of pity. This made Kuroko feel internally furious and at the same time, powerless. He didn’t know what to do. His friend could be in danger, but if he went to try and help, things might turn out worse than before. Kuroko panicked slightly but tried to clear his head. That’s when he felt a gentle tap on his back, and glancing behind him, he could see a more confident tiger’s eyes staring deeply towards his.

_Thank you._ Kuroko’s eyes spoke for him and, without a moment to waste, he answered.

“I’ll go.”

Akashi stared at him, seeming very impressed by the decision.

“I’ll go save Ogiwara-kun.” Kuroko finished, eyes determined. Those kind of eyes always irritated Akashi, this Akashi. He felt those eyes were a threat. Kuroko turned very unpredictable when those eyes appeared. The glow on one of Akashi’s eyes showed discomfort and even a hint of anger. Akashi and Kuroko had always been deemed opposites. What one was, the other lacked and, sometimes, they were the same. This time, Kuroko was the danger and Akashi was that which wanted to prevent a danger, a shield against a sword. The tables had turned. Defense and offense met, exchanged, and this made Akashi regret having challenged Kuroko, indirectly. Even so, this Akashi would do anything in his power to stop Kuroko. He wouldn’t let the other Akashi speak for him. His weakness had allowed too much. He was the shield and he would protect.

Kuroko had that internal peace Akashi had lost a long time ago. His stable head panicked altogether and decided in harmony. This way, Kuroko could also understand the instability Akashi fought with every day and, even if he sometimes got mad at him, later on he always understood Akashi was always just trying to protect, protect, protect. As he had lost thrice as well. The blue haired boy didn’t really want to hurt the red head but, if he had to wake him up the hard way, then that’s what he would do. Now, he had someone else by his side and, surely, he could lead him to the right way, both of them could.

“Do not feel threatened, Akashi-kun. Yes, I’ll do what I can to solve all this, but I’ll try taking the less harmful path. If you could just listen to us, we could help you also.” Kuroko said gently. These times, when Akashi lost a part of his sanity, when he felt threatened, you had to be careful not to stir his bad side. You had to be subtle, you had to understand and take the right road. Akashi, right now, was a labyrinth.

Akashi, surprisingly, stared at Kuroko in silence. His eyes just wavered for a bit. He felt he was being read by Kuroko. So, what could he do? Both the ‘shield’ and ‘sword Akashi’ thought. Maybe there was nothing to fear, but that was why Shield Akashi titled himself the shield, Sword Akashi was very soft and if the defense was absolute, there would be no need to use a sword. He had to watch. There was no need to attack.

“Akashi-kun. You don’t need to think too much about it. I mean no harm at all. I understand… all that’s happening to you, though I don’t know why, I know none of this is your fault in reality. Surely… if you hadn’t been affected in the past, you wouldn’t be suffering, which, in turn, would make you stop making others feel uneasy towards you. I know you just want to protect yourself from the world but… if you don’t know hurt… you won’t live, Akashi-kun. We need to learn the hard way or we’ll never understand what it is, in our own sense, to live. I promise that, if you let everything go, if you open yourself up, yes, it will hurt but the prize you gain will be worth it and you will finally know what it is you’re looking for, as we all are looking. Also, you’ll gain confidence in yourself and others. You’ll help us learn too. You may be our pillar and we may be yours.” Kuroko took a deep breath after having said all of this almost without breathing. It was clear that he was nervous and was thinking deeply into all of his words. He wanted to be as realistic as possible, especially to make Akashi understand all of this, or, at least, that’s what Kagami could perceive with the tone and the choice of words used. That boy, who was right in front of him, that small boy, with courage and a voice that could pierce even that sky up so far, was trying to save the one the tiger thought of as a devil, one who couldn’t have salvation.

Maybe the boy really was an angel. One that could save anyone and everyone. Surely, he could right the wrongs of the park and the world. Taiga thought all of that on a big scale. He was sure that, if everyone could listen to the boy, the world would be at peace and everyone would know how to live in harmony and understand one another. That’s what the boy portrayed to him. He didn’t know that what he was really envisioning was the love the boy created in him. That was the power on his presence and words. The tiger thought of him as a savior at this very moment, something he couldn’t really understand the first time their eyes met. And the boy also had been the one to teach him how to perceive this. It was a complete amazement to the dark haired boy. ‘He really is special. He is much more than what I knew he was. Who exactly is this boy, how does he do it?’ His head went in swirls, but they were serene. Even between all that turmoil, he felt it was fine to question so much. More so when it meant knowing and discovering more of the boy.

His hands touched Kuroko’s back, showing he was still supporting him, if he needed it. Kuroko felt this and let out a silent sigh, awaiting Akashi’s reply. This made his heart beats maintain an agitated rhythm, but steady. Kagami’s dark red eyes stared towards where he thought was his heart, and his hands traced a path towards it on the back of Kuroko, resting themselves where they felt the beatings the closest.

Akashi was speechless. His head, deep in that darkness where only two people lived, was crumbling. No, it was letting the light touch that darkness. Sword Akashi stared at the other, showing doubt and want. He wanted that light and, as he walked towards it, he noticed that so did Shield. But Shield was wavering, the light was dangerous, knew. Kuroko himself had stated that it would hurt, and the least he wanted for Akashi as a whole was to be hurt. He didn’t want a single trace of pain to touch him. Sword Akashi shook his head. Even standing there, in the darkness, was making Akashi hurt. They both knew it, but it was a pain that was bearable. Shield Akashi wasn’t sure of what type of hurting would they face and if they would really have the support of others. After all, by trying not to hurt himself, he had hurt back. Akashi, the one in front of Kuroko, grasped his clothes, close to his chest, tightly. 

Kuroko smiled gently and Kagami sighed in relief. Akashi was trapped in his own labyrinth, confused by it, but he just needed some time to finally get out. Akashi slowly crouched to the ground, his eyes watery but unable to release its tears. Kuroko stepped close to him in silence, to pat his head.

_Nijimura-san, I’ll leave the rest to you._ Kuroko thought as he finally knew that Akashi could revert back with the right amount of help. 

“Akashi-kun, I’ll be making my way back to the circus. Want to join me?” he gave him the same gentle smile as he extended his hand. The other immediately took it, slight trembling making apparent that he was still wary and affected. Kuroko glanced at Kagami. He had been hearing his words, the words of a real tamer. It seemed he was not only good at taming tigers, but lions as well. This made Kagami feel jealousy, though he didn’t know how to express it well, he only walked in front of the both of them and took Kuroko’s free hand, grasping it tightly and glaring at Akashi.

Akashi saw this and a slight chuckle escaped him. He stood up with the help of Kuroko and rapidly let go of his hand. _I guess I lost to you, huh, Taiga? And in such a short time._ Akashi thought. He hadn’t really approached Kuroko as he wanted. His overprotective behavior only made Kuroko grow more and more apart from him. Maybe if he would’ve shown how weak he really was… just maybe. Akashi nodded once and started to walk away, as dignified as ever, leading them towards the circus. Kagami followed Kuroko, who seemed more determined than nervous. He figured the time would come when he could be thoroughly fixed by that angelic boy, but he would have to wait. Kagami didn’t mind, as long as he could follow the other everywhere he went. Even if he had to fix everyone else before him, he would always follow. He was his one and only tiger, the first one he had tamed, at least of his kind. Taiga was sure he wouldn’t let go of him, he would be the best beast he could ever have, it was the least he could do. 

As he thought this, Kagami leaned a bit closer to Kuroko and closed his eyes as he continued moving forward… he wanted to touch… his clear pink cheek. 

What he felt, however, was the gentleness, the light feeling of the other’s lips gracing his in what seemed to be the eternity of a second.


	9. Shared Fragment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A small moment of happiness and reflection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! This isn't really a concrete update of the story, but I thought it would be nice to share something, even if it's small. I didn't want to end the year without giving this one more update. Also, I'm not planning on leaving this unfinished, as I've said before, since I think I can bring closure to this with a few more chapters. So, don't worry if you see me posting other things! I haven't forgotten about this and will be trying my best to write the best chapters I can! Anyway, I hope this is a nice and small read. Thank you for reading so far and for waiting, I'll be giving my all to make it worth your while in the long run!
> 
> Happy New Year!!

In a land that seemed as if it were made of dreams, they both woke up.

The smaller boy looked to his side and found the tiger resting by his side. Where were they?

 

“Kagami-kun…” he whispered while trying to see if it really was him. His eyes rapidly opened and a wide smile formed.

“Ku…Kuroko…” he said with difficulty, yet very happy to do so. He felt fortunate to wake in a dream by his side.

“Where are we?” the small one asked, not knowing if the other had answers, even so, he stood up and awaited for some words.

“D…dream…?” was the only thing he could answer with. He was sure he had never seen a place like that before. It probably was some kind of place unlocked because of the boy. He pointed towards a big door to their far right. The blue haired gave it a look, his eyes widened when he did so. That door, he had seen it before, in his other, lonely dreams. 

Fortunately, this wasn’t a typical dream, it was a very vivid one, as if they really stood there. But, they knew it was a dream, for some reason, and just couldn’t explain the existence of the place.

“This is… I don’t really have a name for it. It seemed like a zone to me… a strange one.” 

“Z…Zone…” replied Kagami, feeling convinced that the name was a great fit. He nodded and tried standing up just like his companion, Kuroko, did. He followed his steps as well, a bit clumsily. The boy reached for the door and smiled gently as he felt the warmth emanating from it. 

“Maybe… we can open it. Before, it always remained locked, and I also didn’t desire for it to be opened… but now… now I feel it is the right time to do so.” He whispered, giving it a soft push, which made it rapidly open up. Kagami couldn’t help but be impressed by it. It seemed like a door that wouldn’t be easily opened, he himself felt powerless in front of it. But, the boy did it, and a ton of light emanated from inside. He wanted to go in. It was as if it called for him. Even so, he wouldn’t give a step if the boy didn’t.

Kuroko, on the other hand, was fascinated by the light. Instead of calling him, it spoke. It showed him the contents of the inside. Companionship, strength in one another, love. Surely, it spoke about the tiger. Deep down in his heart, he knew this and was reassured of it right there. With a gentle expression, he turned to the tiger and nodded. The tiger wavered and extended his hand towards the boy, who rapidly accepted. Both of them made their way to the inside of that magical door. 

~

Akashi, deep inside the corners of his soul, was a sad leader. Taking the role of a ‘boss’, he lost himself to power, trying to delete the fears inside, the insecurities. He was meant for greatness and nothing else, that’s all he knew. How to do it? He never was sure. He figured that, leaving the more brutal ‘him’ lead the way, would be fine. Alone, he would solve the problems inside. That person who had helped him out of that cycle was gone, so he had to depend again, depend on him, power, the emperor.

But that had all been broken because of the words and actions of the tamer of the tiger. He had been swayed by those gentle sentences. He didn’t want to be power anymore. It was time for him to rest or, better yet, to allow for his other self to help out. A balance. But, it was hard. He was breaking inside because he was so scared. The world outside was and would always be horrible. He needed to be protected, he couldn’t fall. Maybe it was fine to fall… But the man who had taught him those words was no longer around. Far away, he had to leave. Would he ever be back? He missed him… He really needed him. 

His eyes were set on the night sky. Yet another year would pass by… and he would be here, missing that person. A smile formed, even if it was small. His resolve now would be to become strong, to lead with kindness and, if necessary, a bit of force. He would also ask for help, at least from Shintarou… And maybe he wouldn’t be kind from the get go… but he would start trying. 

Thinking of it all, his mind got tired, his eyes closing slightly, drifting to the dream world, a million miles away from the land where Kuroko and Kagami were, but inside a land that was just as calm… A new land for him to start reassembling his heart.

Outside, Midorima took care, taking the small body back to its bed, making sure he wouldn’t catch a cold, placing the sheets gently. Someone waited for him. An annoying friend. He had to hurry or he’d enter the room with as much noise as possible, maybe even ruining the sleep of Akashi. Once he was done, he closed the window and then the door behind him, rushing to his friend, who was already looking at his clock and started shouting at him once he was back. Of course, he just told him to shut up and take him to his home, as he was tired and wanted to rest. With a long sigh, the black haired boy ended up doing as Midorima said, cycling back to his home.

~

The magical door lead to a land of complete silence. A night sky full of stars and a gigantic, beautiful moon. Kagami couldn’t take his eyes off from it. It brought comfort to him and was somewhat a perfect place to be at. Kuroko was more into the stars, they were shinning upon the both of them, helping the moon, he couldn’t believe how many he could see.

The breeze was chilly, yet it was the perfect kind. The kind to make you want to hold hands with a person you hold dear. They did so, the nails of the tiger gracing the soft skin of the tamer, who didn’t complain at all. For the both of them, it was a nice feeling, the one that allowed them to know they stood with the right person. 

It was strange… In the Zone, their feelings were clear and pure. They knew everything and words weren’t really necessary. 

Kagami glanced at Kuroko, enchanted by the beauty of his face from up close, decorated with stardust and the light of the sky. He used his free hand to make the other lay his head on his shoulder. Kuroko didn’t flinch at this, instead, he let himself be leaded and then closed his eyes. 

“It’s almost going to be a New Year, Kagami-kun… I want to see the fireworks with you.” 

“We will do so together.” He replied, the words coming off easily. Though, he was clearly blushing, a very bright red. He smiled in the end and lightly bumped his head against the other, to then stare off at the sky that soon would change colors. The fireworks were about to appear, and after all of that was done, they surely would wake up, with energies to change everything. For now, this moment was for them.

And then, just like the tamer tamed the tiger, the moon tamed the constellation into a light of fire that popped and disappeared.


	10. The End and The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Wha… wait… I came here to… to say my goodbyes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Finally I could make the next official chapter of this! I'm so glad I could continue it!   
> I was planning to make this the last chapter, but I figured that I couldn't end it here since there are still many things that you guys would like to know, like Kagami's past, for example and I didn't come up with the right scenes to show it. So... I would love to know which are those things you'd like to see, so I can start writing about them and sharing them with you!   
> For now, I hope you like this chapter and help me out to know if I should continue a bit further or if I should just solve those things left undone without continuing concretely. It would help me a lot if you told me and I'd be very happy to conclude this better with as much satisfaction from you all as possible!  
> Thank you very much for the wait! I hope it was worth it! Please, enjoy and don't forget to send good vibes and answer my call!

A grace on the lips, he had been kissed by the angel. His eyes opened wide and he moved away from the boy. It had lasted enough, he thought. The boy remained looking at his tiger, for some reason he didn’t seem mad at all. In fact, the tiger could notice a slight smile had formed, faint, but present.

“Ah…” he wasn’t sure of what to say, but he leaned and hugged him, tight, very tight. The boy responded with a gentle touch, as he always would, patting the head of the boy.

“There is no need to say sorry, Kagami-kun… I don’t mind it. Maybe it’s time to take some steps to the discovery of what we are to really be.” Kuroko said. He knew the feelings they both were starting to develop would later turn bigger and stronger, he had to make sure to keep this clear for the tiger. So, he would speak to him about it, after everything was done. “For now, we have to lead the circus.”

Kagami nodded rapidly and moved away. Even if he had suffered quite a bit there, he considered it a home. He had forgotten his real home, he could only remember the bars, so he would protect that space with his tamer. There was no need to destroy it… He, too, was sure the place could be better if the blue eyed was there to lead it.

Akashi couldn’t help but chuckle. He had really lost to the tiger… to Kagami Taiga. It was fine. He had lost his chance, and now Kuroko was beginning to smile.

He was to lead them both to the circus. Not only the surface of it, but the real interior. For he was ready to leave it. In the end, he couldn’t lead it how Nijimura had wanted. He’d surely be disappointed if he saw how it had turned… that’s what the small red haired thought. He had planned to visit him after officially leaving the circus. And, that’s exactly what he would do. That man would surely give him a new purpose to continue on… He wanted to try and stumble like any other person… But, he wanted to be protected by someone once he did, for he would break if he did it alone.

As he proceeded to lead them, the circus getting closer by the minute. He tried talking to Kuroko.

“Tetsuya… There’s something I want you to know… though I think you’ve already noticed. It’s about Taiga and the stage… the lights. I’m not sure what it is, but he seems to feel threatened by them. I don’t really know why he feels that way… but I’m sure it has to do with his past.” Akashi expressed, he was not careful to hide from the tiger, since it would be a great thing if the tiger could share it already. He glanced at him, but noticed that, even if his eyes emanated a strange red, he refused to say a word.

“Ah… I think I get what you’re trying to tell me, Akashi-kun… I suppose it is related to his past, like you said… It’s a vital part of his life, though it is one where he suffered. I was pretty sure it was related to the circus… but if you don’t know about it… then it seems I was wrong.” Kuroko replied, trying to walk a bit further to be able to watch Akashi as they spoke.

“I confess that we did abuse of him while at the amusement park… but nothing related to vivid colors or whatever he claims… That’s the only thing I could get about the whole thing. Fire, probably.” The tiger flinched and ran closer to his tamer, his hands trembling slightly. Kuroko noticed and patted the dark haired.

“It is alright, Kagami-kun. The past is gone, right? Aside from that, we will not push you to relive it unless you’re ready.” Kuroko first had to make sure he was alright before continuing to speak. “Now, Akashi-kun, I’ll try my best to deal with whatever happened to Kagami-kun… If he doesn’t like the stage then, I won’t push him to be there either.” Kagami sighed, relieved by every single word the boy released. He would be fine… he would be ready if he lived with that angelical figure. He knew he could share his fears and solve them. Surely, the threat was still around… but he needed the right time to say it.

“Right… I suppose you’ll be able to find the answer… You are his tamer, after all. Well then… we’re here… and it is time for me to say farewell to everyone. “ he wasn’t sure he should say it, after being so oppressive… but he would try. Kuroko wouldn’t let him leave without properly saying his words of sorry to the others. The boy nodded at his words and stood at the entrance alongside the tiger, who seemed peaceful, but thoughtful.

Akashi walked timidly towards the back of the amusement park. Looking at it, feeling it was the last time he would be there… it was a very heavy feeling. He guessed he had grown attached to him, even if he had been how he had… he loved the place and the people in it. He let out a sigh, it was time to speak. He moved the curtains away and, once he did, a green haired man alongside a brown haired woman, ran towards him as if in a hurry.

“”Akashi-san!”” they both said. For some reason, it seemed out of character to the small one, but he forgot about it once they continued speaking.

“Where were you, sir? We were worried sick for you!” the woman said, her big brown eyes shining with worry as she started to brush his clothes, as if he had been dirtied.

“We have so many things we need to discuss with you, in fact… so, if you could please follow us. Some people are even offering themselves to enter the circus, strangely. We thought you had recruited them, in fact, but your face of confusion seems to say otherwise.” The green haired finished. They both wondered where he was, but, first things first, they had to get the things ready.

“Wha… wait… I came here to… to say my goodbyes.”

“”What…?”” they both looked towards each other and now, even Midorima seemed devastated by those words.

“Why would you leave us, Akashi-san?” Riko asked, looking worried. Had they done something wrong? Midorima tried to see the reasons, but he hadn’t found anything out of place with their actions or the amusement park.

“I… I haven’t been the best leader… with you guys or the animals… I figured you’d be happy to hear the news. I thought maybe Kuroko Tetsuya could lead the amusement park for me.” He said, pausing with some words, as he was still confused by their reactions. Riko shook her head and Midorima closed his eyes.

“But,… Akashi-san… We know you’ve done your mistakes, but we have let them go on… This is not entirely your fault. ‘IN FACT’, we were planning on telling you about those today, alongside the other things we need to tell you… We can fix them together. You don’t need to leave, Akashi-san. You helped this amusement park be what it is today. You make many people smile and we work hard every day to see those smiles and enjoy them.” She teased the ‘calm’ Midorima, adding the words that he surely wanted to say and then smiled widely. Sure, there were moments when they wanted their leader to stop being how he was, but they knew that, deep down, he himself wanted to change. They had finally figured that they should give him a hand at it, and they would go do it today.

Akashi sighed and glanced at them both. Midorima finally opened his eyes, adjusting his glasses to hide the slight embarrassment. A chuckle escaped the red haired, and grateful eyes gazed back at the two. He nodded rapidly and lowered his head. He wanted to stay… He really wanted to. Maybe this was a sign that he should stay. Ah… another chuckle escaped, Kuroko knew for sure this were their true feelings. At that moment, he had felt so happy he could cry. The words of trust from Nijimura resonated inside of him. He, too, knew that, even if he lost his way, he would find it someday… and that his comrades would help him out if he opened up to them… or even if he didn’t, because, in the end, that’s how friends are.

“I get it… Alright… I’ll take it back. Let’s get to work, Aida, Shintarou.” He replied, eyes determined and a straight posture,… and a gentle smile. Riko and Midorima couldn’t help but smile as well. It had gone better than expected… and they trusted it would continue that way if they gave him a hand. So, they both nodded and rushed towards the others. There was so much work to do, and a bright future to look after.

Eavesdropping, Kagami looked excitedly at the figures that rushed further in. He turned and nodded to Kuroko with a ton of energy.

“He did it, huh?” Kuroko said, now approaching the tiger and leaning for a hug. The taller one responded with a tight one, he wouldn’t let go for a while. It was always great to have that stillness close. He hoped to always have it. “He’ll be able to fix it, I’m sure. But, if he ever needs a hand, we can give it to him, right, Kagami-kun?”

“Y…Yes, we give hand to him…we save him. Angel saves him, I protect angel.” He corrected, in the end. Kuroko let out a soft giggle. He had been called an angel. Maybe that wasn’t the best description for him, he thought, but he would go along with it. He let go of the tiger and then, cupped his face and leaned in for a soft kiss.

This time, they were both aware, and the both enjoyed the moment. Soft, slightly timid, but so calm and beautiful for the both. It was as if they were in heaven, for the tiger, and as if they were close to what seemed to be an ocean, for the tamer. A perfect little kiss that would be the start of their love and the end of their ambiguity.

**Author's Note:**

> And, that's it for now! Please, leave your comments and share your thoughts! Have a great day and thank you very much for reading!


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